fake news

Thursday January 12, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday January 12, 2017

Trump blasts explosive Russia reports as ‘phoney’ at wild press conference

President-elect Donald Trump angrily denied sensational claims about his relationship with Russia at his first news conference in 168 days, a wild Wednesday spectacle at which he also blasted American intelligence agencies, briefly acknowledged Russia as the culprit in hacking the Democratic party and announced a plan for his business assets that ethics experts say is unsatisfactory.

Trump spoke the day after the publication of two explosive stories about him. CNN and other outlets reported Tuesday that top intelligence officials had briefed him on the claims of Russian operatives to have compromising information on him. Later Tuesday, BuzzFeed published a dossier, compiled by a former British intelligence employee hired by Trump opponents, that included a series of detailed but unverified claims about what the material might be.

“It’s all fake news. It’s phoney stuff. It didn’t happen. And it was gotten by opponents of ours,” Trump said at Trump Tower in New York City.

The press conference was unusually chaotic. Reporters shouted to get his attention. Trump pointedly refused to accept a question from a persistent CNN reporter his team later threatened to evict if he interjected again. The event began with vice-president-elect Mike Pence and Trump spokesman Sean Spicer assailing media outlets as irresponsible and wrong; Spicer referred to BuzzFeed as a “left-wing blog.”

In the most colourful moment, the president-elect denied a claim in the dossier about Russia supposedly filming a hotel liaison between him and prostitutes. He said he had always been careful to warn his associates that they might be filmed by hidden cameras in foreign hotel rooms. He added, in denying a particular detail of the supposed encounter, “I’m also very much of a germaphobe, believe me.”

Asked about one of the most serious claims — that Trump’s team had regular contact with Russia during the campaign — he simply ignored the question and answered another. (Source: Toronto Star) 

 

Thursday December 22, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday December 22, 2016 Conscientious objection to vaccines has doubled in 20 years The number of parents opting out of measles vaccines for their kids because of conscientious or religious beliefs has doubled in 20 years, leaving Ontario's public health system struggling to stop a trend of "increasing concern." "It's a massive challenge because the numbers are going up," said Paul Bramadat, an editor and writer of a book coming out in 2017 on vaccine hesitancy in Canada. "There has always been this kind of faith that if I just give you the right study or if I just give you the right pamphlet, you'llÊsee the jury is in and the case is closed and vaccines are actually safe and effective and the best way for us to prevent really terrible pandemics É It turns out all those anxieties can be addressed by science, but even when they are addressed that is not sufficient.ÓÊ Facts and evidence are battling a formidable foe, a "hip and cool" campaign that uses social media to spread its message, taps into a desire to live more naturally and takes advantage of a growing distrust of science and public institutions. "The anti-vaccine movement is very sophisticated," said Ellen Amster, chair in the history of medicine at McMaster University who studies vaccine hesitancy. "It's definitely a movement. There are people who are co-ordinated, who raise money, who buy billboards and publish children'sÊbooks. They are very smart. They have celebrities. They have all these strategies to make it approachable, understandable and to make you feel you're being empowered with this information." Public health has had to turn its messaging on its head to combat hesitancy.Ê "Immunization is now a topic we all discuss," said Dr. Julie Emili, a Hamilton associate medical officer of health. "I'd say 10 years ago we didn't do many interviews about immunizations. It was assumed people just get their shots. There wasn't this whole

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday December 22, 2016

Conscientious objection to vaccines has doubled in 20 years

The number of parents opting out of measles vaccines for their kids because of conscientious or religious beliefs has doubled in 20 years, leaving Ontario’s public health system struggling to stop a trend of “increasing concern.”

February 6, 2015

February 6, 2015

“It’s a massive challenge because the numbers are going up,” said Paul Bramadat, an editor and writer of a book coming out in 2017 on vaccine hesitancy in Canada. “There has always been this kind of faith that if I just give you the right study or if I just give you the right pamphlet, you’ll see the jury is in and the case is closed and vaccines are actually safe and effective and the best way for us to prevent really terrible pandemics … It turns out all those anxieties can be addressed by science, but even when they are addressed that is not sufficient.”

Friday, December 6, 2013

December 6, 2013

Facts and evidence are battling a formidable foe, a “hip and cool” campaign that uses social media to spread its message, taps into a desire to live more naturally and takes advantage of a growing distrust of science and public institutions.

“The anti-vaccine movement is very sophisticated,” said Ellen Amster, chair in the history of medicine at McMaster University who studies vaccine hesitancy. “It’s definitely a movement. There are people who are co-ordinated, who raise money, who buy billboards and publish children’s books. They are very smart. They have celebrities. They have all these strategies to make it approachable, understandable and to make you feel you’re being empowered with this information.”

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Friday April 29, 2016 Naturopath who treated boy who died of meningitis should be held accountable, physicians say The naturopath who treated Ezekiel Stephan, an Alberta boy who died of bacterial meningitis in 2012, Òdid not meet the standard of careÓ and should be held accountable for her actions, according to a critical letter sent to the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta by nearly four dozen physicians across Canada. The situation raises broader questions about the growing trend toward the regulation of naturopaths in Canada and whether the colleges are doing proper oversight, said Michelle Cohen, a family physician in Brighton, Ont., who wrote the letter. The college has opened an investigation based on the letter and did not respond to an interview request. David and Collet Stephan were found guilty in a Lethbridge court on Tuesday of failing to provide the necessaries of life for their son Ezekiel, who was 19 months old. The Stephans went to a naturopath, Tracey Tannis, because they suspected that the boy had meningitis. The naturopath testified that she did not physically examine Ezekiel and that she had advised the Stephans to take him to a hospital. But she gave Ms. Stephan an echinacea treatment for the child. Others testified that Dr. Tannis discussed EzekielÕs case with his mother. Naturopaths are governed by a self-regulatory college in Alberta, in a manner similar to doctors and nurses. Dr. Tannis is still listed as a member in good standing of the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta and there are no notes attached to her registration to suggest that there have been any concerns about her actions. The physiciansÕ letter criticizes the naturopath for recommending a treatment for a sick child without having examined him and for failing to provide vital information about the grave risks of meningitis and the urgent need for a lumbar puncture and treatment to prevent death

April 29, 2016

Public health has had to turn its messaging on its head to combat hesitancy.

“Immunization is now a topic we all discuss,” said Dr. Julie Emili, a Hamilton associate medical officer of health. “I’d say 10 years ago we didn’t do many interviews about immunizations. It was assumed people just get their shots. There wasn’t this whole discussion about, ‘Should I get my shots or shouldn’t I?’” (Continued: Hamilton Spectator)